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Thursday, September 30, 2010

My good friend Catherine Bybee (who writes about scorching hot Highlanders, shifters and time travel!!!) found Forbidden on the shelves at Barnes and Noble in Glendale, California USA! And for a double thrill my book was sharing the shelf with my fellow debut Berkley author Lila DiPasqua!!

Today I'm over at Seductive Musings sharing bits and pieces about Forbidden, including one of my fave scenes in the book, and there's an exclusive excerpt up as well. There is also a giveaway!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

For the last few years we've had resident doves in our back garden, and this year a pair built their nest right outside our back door on top of the light. Not really a great place because there's not much room but it was nice and secluded from the weather. We were very excited when she laid two eggs and we've been watching them over the last couple of weeks.

Yesterday afternoon, the doves were nowhere in sight and when we went outside to investigate we found half an egg shell on the ground. And then, some distance from the broken egg shell, we found a tiny chick.

Sooo sad. It was still soft. The other egg has been abandoned and we can't work out what happened. This afternoon the doves are back, but they're not going anywhere near their nest.

Friday, September 24, 2010

I love this photo with the golf club and ball!!! Big thank you to Cathryn Brunet for taking it for me!!

If you fancy a giggle, hop on over to Seductive Musings where there is a fun post about a UK outfit called Butlers in the Buff, and yes it's exactly as it sounds :-) There is a very nice bottom on display as well.

The Romance Reviews have an exclusive excerpt posted from Forbidden - and they're also holding a fabbo contest with heaps of books to be won. All you need to do is become a follower of their blog!

And for another chance to win a copy of Forbidden, today I'm over at Tawny Weber answering her Quick Six! And *drum roll* can you believe I managed to bring both Clive Owen and Gerard Butler into the conversation?!?

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Just want to give a quick shout out to two good friends who have new releases this week!

Shelley Munro has a historical romance from Carina Press, The Spurned Viscountess - here's the blurb and gorgeous cover:

She must marry him.

Cursed with the sight and rumors of witchcraft, Rosalind’s only chance at an ordinary life is marriage to Lucien, Viscount Hastings. She doesn’t expect love, only security and children of her own. Determined to go through with the wedding, she allows nothing she encounters at the gloomy Castle St. Clare to dissuade her.

He wants nothing to do with her.

Recently returned from the Continent, Lucien has no time for the English mouse his family has arranged for him to marry, not when he’s plotting to avenge the murder of his beloved Francesca. He has no intention of bedding Rosalind, not even to sire an heir.

Dark secrets will bind them.

Though spurned by her bridegroom, Rosalind turns to him for protection when she is plagued by a series of mysterious accidents and haunted by terrifying visions. Forced to keep Rosalind close, and tempted into passionate kisses, Lucien soon finds himself in grave danger of falling in love with his own wife…

And Helen Hardt has a contemporary erotic romance out from Ellora's Cave today - I love Helen's titles, they're so clever!!

Huge success has so far eluded musician Jane Rock. Coming from a modest background, she’s had to work hard for everything she has. When a music agent attends one of her rock band’s performances at a local club, she thinks her big break has finally come, until an inebriated—though handsome and muscular—patron spoils her show.

Classical pianist Chandler Hamilton has had most of his success handed to him due to his family name. He has his reasons for detesting rock music, but he finds himself drawn to beautiful and talented Jane. Although the two sizzle between the sheets, outside the bedroom they bicker endlessly and envy what they perceive as the other’s good fortune. When Jane needs a favor, Chandler resists. Can love blossom amid clashing notes and tempos?

Sunday, September 19, 2010

I'm deep in the editing cave at the moment, not only on copy edits for Captive, but also revisions on my next book for my awesome agent. I foresee a lot of late nights in my immediate future!!

Today, however, I'm continuing my blog tour over at Unusual Historicals with the lovely Carrie Lofty where I'm chatting a little about the historical background of the world of Forbidden. If you have time I'd love you to stop by and say hi! And there's a copy of Forbidden up for grabs too - winner announced at the end of the week!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Today I'm having some fun over at my lovely friend Eleni's Taverna, where I'm chatting about how the idea of Forbidden came to me and why I chose to write in an ancient setting. We'd love to see you over there plus there's a copy of Forbidden up for grabs!

Monday, September 13, 2010

I actually did some writing today!! And realised it's been over a month since I finished my last book - since this time last month I was in Sydney already (it doesn't seem possible conference was that long ago!) Anyway, I knew it was time to tackle my revisions on Captive as I was starting to get twitchy. It felt good to be back in writing mode and I fell in love with my hero all over again. There's only four and a half months until it hits the shelves!!!

Speaking of Captive, here's the wonderfully dark and atmospheric cover. It really captures the tone of the book. And if you'd like to see some more fabulous work by the awesome artist, Tony Mauro, here is his website!

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Forbidden has been sighted in Borders! OMG and look at who's rubbing shoulders with my Maximus and Carys!!! Huge thanks to my lovely agent sister, Jenny Brown, who took this picture! Jenny's debut from Avon, Lord Lightning, is the first in a new series of Regency historical romances with an astrological theme and is out later this month. Can't wait to read it!

And look! My other lovely agent sister, Laurie London, whose debut from Harlequin, Bonded by Blood, will be out in February 2011, took a pic of Forbidden on her nook!

Thursday, September 09, 2010

I'm over at Magical Musings today, talking about that elusive thing called Voice that agents and editors search for in their slush piles. I'd love to see you over there, as I share how long it took me to find my voice - despite the fact I was convinced I'd discovered it ten years ago. Um, no! And ~ there's a copy of Forbidden for one lucky commenter!

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

What a wonderful week this has been!! Thank you to everyone who's helped make this party so fabulous. Thank you to all my lovely guests, and all my fantastic visitors, you've made this week unforgettable!

But!! The goodness isn't over yet!!

We still have the three winners of day six coming up later today, and then there will be the draw for the fab-four book bundle! So exciting!!

In my excitement yesterday, I put the wrong link up for Romance Bandits *smacks head* The sidebar linked OK but the one in my post went off for a little wander. There's still time to hop over and say hi!!

I'm also over chatting with the lovely Rita at Not Another Romance Blog, where I'm happy to answer questions on my Roman/Druid world. And hot warriors. I'm always happy to discuss hot warriors *heh heh* There is a copy of Forbidden up for grabs at both blogs!

I'm also thrilled with two more reviews that came through over the last couple of days.

Has at The Book Pushers gave Forbidden a wonderful B Review, and here is a snippet:

"The sexy elements of the book did not overpower the plot or the characterisation, but added to their love story. The real heart of the book is the emotional elements between them, and I really liked how that was played out throughout the book. Although the well written love scenes added a sensual layer of heat and passion, and *fans self*, I will never think of Roman Baths the same way again." The rest of this review can be found here

And Becky Pena at Fresh Fiction:

"FORBIDDEN is full of erotic goodness and endless action. Carys and her lover are not helpless beings but both use faith to succeed. A good chunk of this novel is about a woman's inner struggle between what she believes and what she desires, and her unwavering faith in a goddess who may have abandoned her. You will love this novel and agree when I say... I can't wait for the next installment in the Forbidden series." The rest of the review can be found here.

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Just popping in to share a wonderful review I've received from Bookaholics Romance Book Club! The reviewer, Steph, awarded Forbidden 5 Stars, and here is a snippet of her review:

"This book was gritty and primal. I felt I was in the Romans times and I loved it! Maximus is pure, raw male and too sexy for words. I could understand by Carys was enthralled with him and wanted him despite him being her enemy. I am also a sucker for star crossed lovers and a really evil villain. It made this book very thrilling as I hoped Maximus and Carys would be able to evade Aeron’s nefarious plans and end up happily together."

This made me very happy!!!! If you'd like to read the full review, it's here.

Later today I'll be drawing a winner for the Spreading the Party Love contest, and have the winners for day five.

In the meantime, don't forget there's still lots of time to leave a comment on Emily, Shelley and Lila's posts!!

Sunday, September 05, 2010

I can't believe it's day five already! And a very Happy Father's Day to all the dads!

My first guest today is Berkley Sensation author Kandy Shepherd, who writes fabulous fun, feel-good romances. Kandy won the Favourite Contemporary Romance 2009 Award for LOVE IS A FOUR LEGGED WORD from the ARRA (Australian Romance Readers Association) and was also one of the Conference co-ordinators this year for the incredible Sydney conference. Congratulations on your elegant award, and thank you, Kandy!!

Hi Christina, thank you for inviting me onto your blog. Having read the sample chapter of FORBIDDEN on your website and read the glowing 4 star review in Romantic Times I cannot wait to read it! Good luck with the launch!

Here is my blog about the “forbidden love” between two of the characters in one of my books…

Forbidden love

He comes from the wrong side of the tracks, and has tragedy and loss in his background. He lives by his wits. Of mixed blood, he is more ugly than handsome but the mix gives him a potent charm that lets him manipulate people into giving him what he wants. He’s a player, a ladies man, taking what he wants and moving on. That all comes to a screeching halt when he sees her. She is all he wants—but she is forbidden to him.Her family will not let him anywhere near her.

She is aristocratic, elegant, her petite frame, glossy black hair and aquiline profile giving her stand-out looks. Her parents guard her closely; years of good breeding make her a valuable asset. Her future is carefully planned. She is to be matched with her social equal—there is no room in her life for our disreputable hero. But when she sees him, she is smitten. She will defy her family to meet with him.

When an unplanned pregnancy and an unexpected inheritance are thrown into the plot, Brutus and Coco find themselves relying on humans to thwart a dastardly plot to murder Brutus with an overdose of dog-toxic chocolate. Will they—and their puppies—find their happy-ever-after?

Brutus, a Heinz 57 varieties mutt, and his forbidden love Coco, a purebred miniature poodle, are the canine stars of the secondary love story in my debut novel from Berkley Sensation, LOVE IS A FOUR-LEGGED WORD. Poor Brutuseven has Coco’s owner turn the hose on him to keep him away from her pedigree princess, Coco! But the human heroine of the book, Maddy Cartwright, and hero Tom O’Brien join forces to keep the doggy lovers together.Brutus and Coco also “guest star” in my new release, HOME IS WHERE THE BARK IS.

Christina, if any of your readers would like to read about Brutus and Coco (and the human characters, too, of course!), I’d be delighted to give away a signed copy of LOVE IS A FOUR-LEGGED WORD.

Thank you Kandy! Brutus and Coco are so adorable and I'm looking forward to seeing them again when I read HOME IS WHERE THE BARK IS! So, to be in with a chance of winning Kandy's book, what's your fave book or movie that features animals?

Thursday, September 02, 2010

My final guest for day two is Mills and Boon Historical author, Michelle Styles We first met up on eHarlequin about seven or so years ago, both of us targeting the Romance line. Funny how things turn out!!! I was thrilled when Michelle sold her Roman story to M&B and trail-blazed an ancient historical trend for the line!

Here is Michelle's fascinating glimpse into Roman society...

I’m delighted to be here helping to celebrate Christina’s launch of Forbidden. I had the great pleasure of meeting Christina back 2004 when she and I both attended the RNA conference in Leicester. And I’m really looking forward to reading Forbidden as I have a great fondness for the era.

Christina asked the contributors to her blog write about something Forbidden in their books, and I think it is a great topic for writing about Roman society in general. Roman society was riddled with rules and what could happen or could not happen, despite televisions shows to the contrary! Because of its militaristic nature, Rome was a place where form was everything. The law and its interpretations were important.

It was why at the end of the Republic, there was a huge clash between the traditionalists like Cato and the new young guns like Julius Caesar who wanted to flaunt their wealth (and sexuality). Later when Augustus takes over as Emperor, he tries to re-establish the old values. One of the laws he implemented was that men had to either be married or betrothed. This had the untended consequence of men betrothing themselves to infants so that they could remain single. This led to another law forbidding betrothals until the woman was twelve. If you look at the graves of Roman women, you see that many died when they were about 17 or 18 and giving birth to their first child. This normally happened about a year after the women started to have sex or about a year after marriage.

So what did I write about that was forbidden? Or rather how did it complicate things? In my debut book The Gladiator’s Honour, a long term relationship between a Patrician woman and a salve was forbidden. Such things were looked on with disapproval. This is in part because a woman’s status did depend on the men in her life. In A Noble Captive, the heroine as a priestess of a cult and a enemy of Rome was forbidden from having a relationship with a Roman soldier. In The Roman’s Virgin Mistress, the hero and heroine are on opposite sides of the political spectrum but I also explored some of the ‘forbidden activities’ that were practiced in a town like Baiae where the Romans went to party, rather than Rome where Romans went to govern. Given Roman behaviour, I was surprised to learn that nice girls didn’t dance nor did they recline at the dinner table. One of the great reasons to read about the Roman era is because of what was forbidden during that era and the opportunity to immerse yourself in that era.

To help Christina celebrate, I’m offering one lucky commentator a copy of one my Roman set books.

Michelle Styles writes historical romance set in the Roman, Viking, Regency and early Victorian periods for Harlequin Historical. She has written 15 books for them and recently sold a Roman set Undone which will be coming out sometime next year.

Thank you for that thought provoking post, Michelle. I know I discovered a lot of unexpected things when I was researching the period. So, to be in with a chance of winning one of Michelle's wonderful Roman set books, leave a comment for Michelle or tell us what's the most unusual/weird/shocking/funniest (umm you get the picture?!) thing you've uncovered during the course of researching, for whatever reason that research might have been for?

Once again I have to extend my apologies for not being around due to living Down Under! But I'm sure there are a couple of Roman warriors lurking if you need any assistance for any reason!!

Triple ARRA Finalist 2013 for Favourite Erotic Romance

HER SAVAGE SCOT "Need to Read"

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BLOODLUST DENIED

"Sultry and seductive, Bloodlust Denied is both intriguing and romantic."

"I dare you to put down Forbidden before you reach the last page. Compelling, passionate and fascinating." Anna Campbell, Multi Award Winning Author

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Captive

"Christina Phillips weaves an fascinating tale with an intricate setting and powerful characters, intertwining the deep emotional turmoil of guilt, hatred and searing passions in her latest erotic historical romance, CAPTIVE." Aemelia .............................................. "Readers will be intrigued as the layers of the story unfold." RT BOOK Reviews 4 Stars

"If you love not only erotica, but also stories with well written characters, and great historical detail, you won’t make a mistake by picking up FORBIDDEN." Lynette ................................ "Set in the time of the Roman Empire, Phillips’ wonderful story of the romance between a Roman soldier and a Celt is more than entertaining" RT BOOK Reviews 4 Stars